Multiple Myeloma

The multiple myeloma care team at Winship Cancer Institute in Atlanta, Georgia is recognized as a national and international leader in the research and comprehensive treatment of the disease.

Your Care at Winship

In the past ten years, our multiple myeloma experts have helped pioneer new drug therapies that have doubled the life expectancy of patients, and they are dedicated to building on that success.

The multiple myeloma team at Winship only specializes in this specific disease. As a patient here, you have access to some of the world's leading myeloma experts and to a healthcare team that provides the highest standard of care, the newest clinical trials available and the most up-to-date approaches in managing myeloma. Our team recently won the MMRF Accelerator Award for our outstanding efforts and exceptional contributions to the rapid completion of clinical trials supported through the Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium, and for our demonstrated leadership as members of the consortium.

We offer you comprehensive treatment plan customized for your disease by giving you access to genetic testing, molecular sequencing and expert assessment. With a multidisciplinary team that includes physicians, physician assistants, pathologists, radiologists, advanced practice nurses, oncology nurses and social workers, our aim is to be a resource at every stage of treatment in order to provide you with guidance on how to have the best long term survival with good quality of life.

Our team approach to care offers a number of benefits to you, including:

Diagnosing Your Multiple Myeloma

Multiple myeloma is a blood cancer that develops in the bone marrow when normal, antibody-producing plasma cells become malignant myeloma cells.

The myeloma cells build up in the bone marrow, forming tumors in many bones of the body and preventing the bone marrow from creating healthy blood cells that your body needs to function properly.

The diagnosis of multiple myeloma is often initiated during routine blood tests for other conditions and is difficult to confirm on the basis of any single laboratory test result. Accurate diagnosis generally results from consideration of a variety of factors, including physical evaluation, patient history, symptoms, and lab results.

A number of laboratory tests and medical procedures are used to help confirm a diagnosis of myeloma, including bone marrow biopsy and imaging tests such as x-ray, CT scan or PET scan. Your doctor will determine the appropriate tests for you.

Learn About Cancer

For reliable, in-depth information about cancer symptoms, staging and diagnosis, visit CancerQuest, an educational and outreach program at Emory University.

Your Treatment Options

Because of ground-breaking research and clinical trials at Winship and elsewhere, treatments for multiple myeloma are changing every day. Our doctors and researchers are studying the genetic components of multiple myeloma and using that knowledge to come up with better, more targeted drugs and individualized therapies.

The goal of controlling multiple myeloma as a chronic disease, or even curing it, is within reach.

Your treatment options will be tailored to your diagnosis based on the stage of your multiple myeloma and other factors such as lifestyle, age, and general health.

Chemotherapy: Multiple myeloma is sensitive to different combinations of chemotherapy, which may involve one or a combination of anticancer drugs that destroy cancer cells.

Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplantation: This treatment consists of destroying cancerous bone marrow cells by using higher doses of chemotherapy and in some cases, radiotherapy, and then replacing them with healthy bone marrow or stem cells to help patients regain a new and healthy immune system. Winship has pioneered many advances in bone marrow transplant procedures and drugs.

Targeted drugs and combination therapies: Recently, the U.S. FDA approved a number of new drugs that use the patient's immune system to fight multiple myeloma. Winship has pioneered the use of these drugs in combination with front-line therapies.

We understand that this is a very stressful time. We welcome your questions and requests for help. Here is more information to help familiarize you with Winship and give you an idea of what to expect on your first visit.

Your Treatment Team

Sagar Lonial MD, FACP

Internationally recognized as a leading authority in multiple myeloma treatment and research, Dr. Lonial collaborates with leadership as Chief Medical Officer to coordinate and enhance clinical services and patient care throughout Winship.